Love & Peace
by deamrose10
Summary: "..even if we're not school idols anymore, as long as we keep on singing, as long as we keep on listening, no matter where the nine of us are, we will always remember.." (umi/hanayo friendship, slight umi/maki)


Disclaimer: Love Live not mine! ^_^

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Umi was alone sitting beneath the big old oak tree at the school yard during lunch one day, since Honoka and Kotori were off somewhere filing last minute papers that were clearly forgotton about by the Student Council President. She didn't bother accompanying them since she did more than half of the work, and that she had something else to do. She was trying to organize all the songs U's have so far, from those that they've already performed to those that haven't been introduced to the group as a whole. She and Maki had made lots of progress adding different songs to their repertoire, but there's still a small compilation of songs that the group hasn't worked on yet, mainly because Umi thinks it's not the right time to unveil them. Or rather, the people who the songs are made for doesn't even know they exist.

Umi made it a point to base some of her lyrics on the other members who she thinks will be able to express them more effectively. That's how they decide on who's going to be their center, after all. Honoka is, by default, the center of the group, and she delivers her lyrics beautifully, but Umi believes that the other members are just as effective in expressing the meaning of her compositions just as much as Honoka does.

As she sorted out the papers in front of her, she came upon one that she and Maki worked on when the group recently acquired 6 members. It was one of their older compositions, but Umi remembered the feelings she had when writing it, and the person she based it on. She smiled to herself.

"Umi-chan!"

Umi looked up startled. There, in front of her, was Hanayo smiling down at her. She then laughed to herself. _'Well, this is a coincidence.'_

"What are you doing here alone? Where's Honoka-chan and Kotori-chan?"

Umi patted the seat beside her for Hanayo to take.

"Honoka and Kotori have some Student Council business to attend to. I, however, am organizing our songs as reference materials for the club," Umi explained, giving Hanayo a sweet smile. The bluenette is quite fond of the shy first year, having a few similarities with her here and there. Not to mention Hanayo is also a very sweet girl, despite her introverted personality.

"I see. You're very responsible, Umi-chan. And so cool. No wonder almost everybody in my class admires you."

"W-what are you saying all of a sudden, Hanayo?!" Umi blushed a deep red. Hanayo just giggled and smiled at her.

Hanayo took a peak at the stack of papers scattered on Umi's lap. She randomly picked some up after silently asking permission from Umi, who nodded her assent.

"You write such beautiful lyrics, Umi-chan. Anju-san was right when she said your honest lyrics match perfectly with Maki-chan's compositions," Hanayo said as she read the songs with a blissful smile. "It's too bad we won't be able to sing them as a group for much longer. Or that, in time, they'll be forgotten."

Umi watched as Hanayo's smile faltered. She knows how affected the girl is regarding the group's imminent disbandment, with only 2 months away before the school year's over.

"Ne, Hanayo." Said girl looked up to see Umi smiling warmly at her. Umi took the papers from Hanayo's hands and set them aside along with those on her lap and grasped the younger girl's hands gently with her own. Hanayo just blushed at the sudden show of affection of her senior.

"Whenever you sing these songs, what do you feel?" Umi asked as she stared at the flushed first year. Hanayo seemed to contemplate on the question for a moment before answering.

"I feel warm, like being snuggled in a thick fluffy blanket. It makes me happy and content, like I'm able to share a part of me to anyone without being judged. And it makes me want to sing even more because it's like I'm telling a beautiful story over and over again to anyone who's willing to listen." Umi was stunned at how honest Hanayo was being. She beamed.

"I'm very happy to hear that these songs have that effect on you. You know, it's not easy putting into words what I feel, just for others to recite them out loud. Writing lyrics or poems isn't just about putting words that sound good together. The important thing is the feeling that each word represents as a whole, and how certain people receive them. Giving them a melody makes them more expressive, and I'm very fortunate that Maki understands them enough to know what kind of feeling I want to convey for every song we make. That goes for every one of you, too, since you guys contributed in some of the songs as well." Umi smiled softly as Hanayo blushed.

"But composing isn't enough. How can we share these feelings if no one sings them? Like you said, we're telling a story to those who'll listen, and for us, we listen to each other. We sing for each other. Remember, the person who's singing is responsible for delivering the true meaning of the song. We may not be able to sing them together as a group anymore, but individually, our feelings are still there, right? All these songs are our stories because we made them that way. Other people may forget, but even if we're not school idols anymore, as long as we keep on singing, as long as we keep on listening, no matter where the nine of us are, we will always remember. They're the kind of memories that never really fade. You understand?"

Hanayo just sat there, amazed at how passionate her senior really is. Slowly, she broke into a wide smile, teary eyed.

"Hai! I get it now, Umi-chan. Arigatou!" Hanayo gave the older girl a quick hug before standing up to leave. Umi started gathering her things.

"Oh, Hanayo! This is for you." Umi handed Hanayo a sheet of paper along with a CD. The younger girl stared at it, confused.

"What's this for, Umi-chan? A new song? Should I give it to Honoka-chan?"

Umi grinned. "You better start practicing. It's about time we have a song with you as our center, don't you think?" She winked as Hanayo stood there, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

"Eh? Eeehhh?!" Before the confused girl can react any more, Rin suddenly came from nowhere and grabbed Hanayo, pulling her away.

"Kayo-chin! Let's go or we'll be late for class - nya! We still need to get our stuff from the locker! Hi, Umi-chan! Bye, Umi-chan! See you later at practice – nya!" Umi just giggled and waved goodbye to the two.

"So, how long do you plan on hiding there? I didn't know you're into eavesdropping." Umi suddenly said. A figure then stepped out from behind the tree and stood next to Umi.

"You two sure took your time. Should I be jealous?" Umi turned to look at Maki, arms crossed, a smirk on her face.

"Why, are you?" Umi asked back, a playful smile on her lips.

"Tsk. Of course not!" The redhead said, turning her head away from a giggling Umi.

"That's good, because there's no reason to be," Umi said as she slipped her hand into Maki's, tugging on it until the younger girl looked at her. They both smiled sweetly at each other.

"Thank you, for what you said to Hanayo. She needed it. Although I never expected it to come from you, to be honest. Never pegged you as the sentimental type," Maki said as Umi pouted.

"Mou! Keep this up and you can forget about me accompanying you to that art gallery you're so eager to go to," Umi exclaimed as Maki laughed.

"Alright, alright! But, you know, you should really stop being so sweet with your underclassmen. They might get the wrong idea," Maki said as she clung to the bluenette's arm to prevent her from moving away.

"I thought you weren't jealous?"

"I'm not. In fact, they're the ones who should be jealous of me," Maki said, a smug look on her face.

Umi blushed as red as her partner's hair. "M-maki! Stop being so shameless!" Maki just laughed again, amused at how much she can rile up the older girl so quickly. They settled down moments later.

"So, you finally gave her that song. I enjoyed composing it. It suits her perfectly."

"Yea, now just seemed to be the right time for us to sing it. I want to offer it to the seniors, and I'm sure with Hanayo as the center, she'll be giving them lots of energy, love, and peace as they start their new lives." Maki smiled as she affectionately squeezed Umi's hand. Umi, in turn, squeezed back.

"Let's go, or else we'll both be late. I'll see you later during practice, then," Umi said as she dropped Maki's hand gently, but Maki tugged on it, gave Umi a quick peck on the cheek, winked, and dashed away as she waved at the flushed girl she left behind.

"Shameless."

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A/N: this has been nagging at my mind for ages! An Umi / Hanayo friendship oneshot because there's too little interaction between the two. And, of course, I couldn't resist adding a bit of Umi / Maki at the end. :3 Thanks so much for reading! ^_^


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